Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
OSHA has issued a proposed rule addressing crane operator certification in construction. Published May 21 in the Federal Register, the rule would permanently extend and clarify employers’ duties to ensure that crane operators are competent to operate equipment through training, certification or licensing, and evaluation.
Excavating and trenching are some of the most hazardous operations in construction, and OSHA is keeping an eye on employers. Today we’re taking look at some recent enforcement actions surrounding trench collapse hazards along with a guidance document from OSHA.
When it comes to dangerous jobs, working on a construction site is always going to be near the top of the list. The number of things that can go wrong on a construction site is nearly endless, and many of these issues can result in serious harm and even death.
While falls from roofs are a major hazard in the general construction industry, hazards posed by hot work during built-up roofing are also significant. With warm weather approaching in much of the country, roofing work will pick up, and this is a good time for roofing employers to review their practices to protect roofers. Several […]
OSHA periodically reenergizes its Focus Four Hazards campaign—an initiative intended to raise awareness about the four leading hazards in the construction industry, described by OSHA as falls, caught in or between, struck by, and electrocution.
OSHA regulations are a “massive challenge” to small businesses in the homebuilding industry. Accordingly, OSHA should shift its emphasis from a “disproportionate” reliance on traditional enforcement and levying significant monetary penalties to compliance assistance.
Slip-and-fall accidents are one of the leading causes of injury in the construction workplace. While the most catastrophic of these occur when working from heights, many injuries also happen at the ground level. Many accidents occur when walking across uneven ground that is too soft, too hard, wet, or muddy.
Women in construction are in the minority by a wide margin, and for that reason face safety and health challenges typically not encountered by men. OSHA has recognized the disparity and the associated risks. Accordingly, in 2013, the agency formed an alliance with the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), which the two parties […]
The New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH) has released its latest construction fatality findings. “Deadly Skyline: An Annual Report on Construction Fatalities in New York State” cites “alarming increases in New York State construction fatalities.” The document also notes that “employers routinely violate legal regulations with impunity.”
OSHA has cited and fined a Massachusetts foundation company for failing to protect employees against crushing hazards installing permanent foundation supports beneath a public library. The company faces more than $212,000 in proposed penalties.